Donemana complete Irish Senior Cup record chase
O'Sullivan, though, was caught by van der Merwe off the bowling of Ross Allen from the next ball he faced and the drama increased when Dwayne McGerrigle pulled a hamstring and needed a runner for the last over which started with Donemana on 353 for eight.
Ricky-Lee Dougherty was on strike and a couple of twos and two wides, the latter a short ball from van der Merwe which went over the head of the batter, won the match - without McGerrigle having to face - with two balls to spare.
The victory had been set up by 50s from David Dougherty, Ray Curry, sent in as the last over runner, and Anuj Jotin with Adam Dennison the only Waringstown bowler to go for less than six runs an over.
The top two scorers in the match both came in the Waringstown innings, with James McCollum hitting 125 and captain Greg Thompson a whirlwind 74 not out from 33 balls, with nine fours and three sixes. His unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 89 with van der Merwe came from just 34 balls but it proved in vain. Van der Merwe, ironically, hit five sixes in his 36 from 13 balls.
Before the drama at the Lawn, the best game of the day was in Cork, although it looked to be a comfortable win for Civil Service North when they reduced their hosts to 111 for seven. But a remarkable 105 by Munster Reds player Zubair Khan, from No 9, hoisted Cork County to 271.
After the dismissal of professional Sean Davey for 46, CSN still needed 92 from the last 13 overs but captain Stuart Thompson's 94 not out saw them home with 10 balls to spare.
In all, it was a bad day for Ulster clubs with Coleraine the only other North West winners – they bowled out Muckamore for 99 – and there will be only four NCU teams in the second round.
A second wicket partnership of 195 between Chris Dougherty (105) and Jake Egan (128) was the basis of CIYMS' crushing 127 runs victory at Bready. Carson McCullough took five wickets as the home side were dismissed for 185.
Lisburn captain Neil Whitworth also took five wickets as his side made it seven wins out of seven this season with a seven wickets win over Brigade at Wallace Park, James Hunter hitting 89 not out from 71 balls to seal victory at the start of the 28th over.
Instonians reached their target of 179 in exactly the same time, for the loss of four wickets, to ease past Strabane at Shaw's Bridge. Captain Nikolai Smith, opening in place of Ireland call-up Cade Carmichael, top scored with 54.
Elsewhere, there were heavy defeats for Woodvale, North Down and Cliftonville Academy by Malahide, Pembroke and Balbriggan respectively but Templepatrick put up a good fight in their first ever Irish Cup game, before going down to Clontarf by five wickets. Captain Ross Bryans hit 77 in the NCU side's 236.
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Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Why Lions' top try-scorer Duhan van der Merwe is not getting a look-in under Andy Farrell
With just a Sydney dead-rubber left for the British and Irish Lions, those who simply study the data would be forgiven for thinking that Duhan van der Merwe has been among the stars of 2025. The 30-year-old has plundered five tries, bringing his tally to 10 across two tours. That puts him top of the tree among his squad mates. According to Stats Perform, he has amassed 336 metres with ball in hand. Huw Jones is next, with 287 metres despite seeing 46 minutes more game-time. Only Tommy Freeman and Sione Tuipulotu, with 17, have beaten more than the 16 defenders that Van der Merwe has brushed aside and the latter is also second for line-breaks (one behind Mack Hansen) with six. And yet, his prospects of repeating the three Test starts granted to him by Warren Gatland in South Africa four years ago have seemed remote since the outset. Ahead of a final meeting with Australia on Saturday, it would appear more likely for Blair Kinghorn to replace James Lowe on the left wing than it would to see Van der Merwe in action. Hansen is also back in contention after injury and likely above him in the pecking order. As a player leading Scotland's all-time scoring list with 32 tries in 49 Tests, he will be remembered with great fondness whatever else happens in his career. But the past few weeks will have been difficult. Unforgiving context Van der Merwe's chances of a fast start were compromised by ankle ligament damage that required surgery in April and meant that the Lions' opener against Argentina was his first outing in almost three months. He looked understandably rusty because of that lay-off. His next game against the Reds at Suncorp Stadium represented a blend of dangerous running and positional uncertainty. Then, four days later, Van der Merwe was drafted onto the bench for a disjointed win over the Waratahs. Henry Pollock's tight calf saw Scott Cummings come into the starting side as Tadhg Beirne shifted to blindside flanker. Van der Merwe joined the replacements and wore the No 20, a sure-fire sign of how late the decision was made and an indication that numbers 22 and 23 had been sized up for Marcus Smith and Ben White. After coming on for Hugo Keenan for the final half-hour, Van der Merwe could not impress himself on the match. On the last play, he took a looping pass from Kinghorn and was shepherded towards the touchline by several defenders before the ball squirted out of a messy ruck. The moment encapsulated both an unconvincing display from the Lions and how Van der Merwe's Test hopes were dwindling: Some have suggested that Van der Merwe was lucky to be selected for the initial squad on May 8 but his pedigree and Lions experience will have been hard to ignore. Andy Farrell evidently wanted size in the back three and Van der Merwe was particularly impressive in Scotland's 27-13 victory over the Wallabies last November. He scored a trademark try out wide… …and burst through Australia from a hidden inside pass move: This was something the Lions attempted themselves from a goal-line drop-out in the first Test, with the Wallabies snuffing it out: Good work from Nick Champion de Crespigny to get across to Hugo Keenan: — Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) July 19, 2025 Indeed, with Finn Russell and Sione Tuipulotu certainties to tour, Farrell had scope to lean on the familiarity of a potent Scotland back line. Although modern wings men roam around the field, they tend to have a preferred side of the pitch that is dependent on factors such as their favoured foot to step off. Van der Merwe is a specialist left wing. Remarkably, according to All Rugby, he has only once worn a No 14 shirt in his professional career; in a Top 14 match for Montpellier against Racing 92 in 2017. In that respect, Van der Merwe was probably not competing against the unfortunate Darcy Graham for a place in the initial Lions squad. Graham, normally a right wing, could have been edged out by Hansen. Once the group assembled, Van der Merwe was up against James Lowe, a favourite of Farrell's from their time together with Ireland. Having started the past two Top 14 finals on the left wing for Toulouse, Kinghorn became another potential candidate for the 11 shirt. Van der Merwe needed to be at his most devastating. Pros and cons As early as the sixth minute against Argentina, there was a reminder of Van der Merwe's athleticism as he stepped off his left foot and carved through the Pumas: He flipped an overhead offload to Tommy Freeman a little later and slipped off a tackle early in the second half before linking with Bundee Aki: It is interesting to note that Van der Merwe has registered all five of his tries in Australia on the Lions left. Here against the Australia and New Zealand (AUNZ) invitational outfit, for instance, he is on hand to capitalise on the attack sparked by Hugo Keenan's quick line-out: Later in the same game, Van der Merwe caps his hat-trick on the end of a slick first-phase move that outflanks the defence: This try, against the Reds, was probably the most difficult finish and requires him to dot down in a tight space amid the attention of opposing full-back Jock Campbell: While it might be tempting to downplay this propensity for apparently easy tries, it is worth remembering that Lowe missed a similar chance against the Brumbies. As an outlet capable of surging into space, few are better than Van der Merwe. Scotland feed width readily to tap into that asset. Recent weeks have also showcased less assured areas of Van der Merwe's game. The Reds clearly targeted his back-field positioning. This Hunter Paisami cross-kick caused problems before Van der Merwe rescued himself… …and Kalani Thomas set up a try for Josh Flook with a grubber towards the same wing: Les Kiss, the Reds boss, also coached AUNZ in Adelaide. Forcing Van der Merwe to turn was a pillar of his strategy again, as suggested by Tane Edmed probing in behind from this early line-out: Van der Merwe loses his composure here and was fortunate that the ball bobbles into touch to give the Lions a line-out – the kick did not qualify for a 50:22 – because his actions would otherwise have conceded a five-metre scrum. As for kicking itself, a necessary skill for back three players, Van der Merwe is not a natural. Whereas Lowe's left boot has been predictably prominent, accounting for 416 metres from 11 kicks, Van der Merwe has hit a solitary strike all tour – after AUNZ had again found space in behind him: This tour, during which Andy Farrell has implemented systems reminiscent of those that characterise his Ireland team, has reinforced how coaches will back trusted individuals – and those who suit their methods – to deliver. Van der Merwe always faced a tricky task. Farrell's preferences Wings under Andy Farrell are granted licence to fizz around the field. While this table using data from Stats Perform is not bulletproof, because it is taken from multiple games and possession shares will have varied, it can broadly show us how much four Lions wings – Hansen, Tommy Freeman, James Lowe and Van der Merwe – have been around the ball. Hansen has been around the ball most, either carrying or hitting a ruck once every 2.8 minutes he has been on the field. Van der Merwe is fourth of the four: Freeman (15 defensive rucks across 390 minutes) and Hansen (13 defensive rucks in 270 minutes) have also grafted at the breakdown on the other side of the ball. This is not to say Van der Merwe has not come off his wing. The Lions have asked him to swing around from strike plays such as this one against the First Nations and Pasifika XV: However, with the best will in the world, it would be a surprise to see Van der Merwe set up a try like Beirne's in the second Test from first-receiver as Lowe did. The fact that Jamison Gibson-Park feeds Lowe rather than Keenan in the first place underscores their relationship: Kinghorn was off his wing and into the opposite 15-metre channel as soon as he had replaced Lowe. This cut-out pass to Keenan punctuated the first phase of the winning attack: Freeman, like Lowe adept at contesting high-balls, has continuously roamed. As pointed out by Kevin Millar, he burrowed into rucks on opposite touchlines in the build-up to Keenan's last-gasp try. It is not that Van der Merwe is incapable of this, just that others seem to do so more impulsively. Much earlier in the second Test, just beyond the half-hour mark with the Lions trailing 23-5, Lowe and Freeman contributed to a key moment. From a left-hand scrum, Bundee Aki attempts to launch Huw Jones but a flat tip-pass ricochets off Len Ikitau. Lowe reacts brilliantly and keeps the attack moving with a pass to Keenan, who sends Freeman charging into contact: A strong carry, with the help of Keenan's latch, ends up metres from the try-line and foreshadows Tom Curry's crucial finish. No doubt Lowe's awareness will have been heralded by the Lions coaches this week. What next? Van der Merwe's response to this tour will be intriguing. Graham and Kinghorn, one suspects, would be shoo-ins for any Scotland side. There is fierce competition developing for back-three spots, though. Kyle Steyn, exceptional in the air, is a reliable operator. Kyle Rowe, Harry Paterson and Arron Reed all had bright moments on the summer tour. Besides Rowe and Ollie Smith, Tom Jordan and Fergus Burke could be considered as potential full-backs that shift Kinghorn to the wing. Van der Merwe will be eager to begin the 2025-26 campaign strongly for Edinburgh to assure himself of action over autumn fixtures against USA, New Zealand, Argentina and Tonga. As with other Lions colleagues, how he moves on from the tour may be more significant than what has happened in Australia.
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Cameron Melly leads Brigade's charge to stun Newbuildings
Melly top-scored with 121 from only 51 balls, a knock that saw him clear the ropes 12 times as well as hitting eight fours as Brigade racked up 317 for six. He shared a whirlwind stand of 110 in eight overs with Mark Hanna (31) in an all-out assault on the shell-shocked home attack. There were runs throughout the order with David Barr scoring 67 (12 fours) in a second wicket partnership of 111 with Adam McDaid, who made 61. Newbuildings had chased over 300 to beat Donemana on Saturday, but there was no repeat of those heroics as they were bowled out for 190. JP Millar and Scott Macbeth each took three wickets, with the latter getting the big fish — Peat Salmon. Johnny Thompson hit four sixes in a defiant 55, but the result was never in doubt. Donemana regained the Premiership lead with an emphatic eight-wicket win in an all-Tyrone clash at Strabane . Irish international Andy McBrine took four wickets as the Red Caps were skittled out for just 72 in a game reduced to 34 overs. There were wickets, too, for returning skipper Gary McClintock (three for 11) and Sri Lankan professional Anuj Jotin (two for 18), while Raymond Curry's unbeaten 20 eased Donemana to victory in the 16th over. Eglinton remain rooted to the bottom after a four-wicket loss at in-form Bready. Andy Millar hit seven fours in an excellent half century, while younger brother Jamie made 36, and there were twenties for Ryan Lamrock, Jack Martin and Lakshan Gamage in a total of 215 for six. Bready captain Ian Young led the way in the chase with an undefeated 62 (eight fours, one six), while there was also a half century for South African professional Josh van Heerden as the hosts won with two overs to spare.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
Waringstown and Instonians stay on winning trail as NCU Premier League title race hits boiling point ahead of crunch clash
Waringstown host Instonians on Saturday, August 2 in a match which could decide the 2025 NCU Premier League title. Only run-rate separates the joint leaders after both continued their winning runs on Saturday.
